The band was started in the summer of 1969 in the town of Dumfries , Scotland, by founder member Alex Wilson who recruited Jimmy Ronnie (guitar) and Ian McDougall (drums). They were joined by singer Mike Waller in November 1969. Wilson, the group’s bass guitarist, had decided to form a…
Read More
High Tide made their first recordings as the backing band on Denny Gerrard’s album Sinister Morning . Gerrard returned the favour by producing their first album, Sea Shanties , which was released in October 1969. Though it met with a scathing review in Melody Maker , reviews in the underground…
Read More
In 1964, Steven Tyler , then a drummer, formed his own band, the Strangeurs—later renamed Chain Reaction—in Yonkers, New York . Meanwhile, Perry and Hamilton formed the Jam Band (commonly known as “Joe Perry’s Jam Band”), which was based on free-form and blues . Hamilton and Perry moved to Boston…
Read More
Alice Cooper’s “shock rock” reputation apparently developed almost by accident at first. An unrehearsed stage routine involving a feather pillow and a live chicken garnered attention from the press; the band decided to capitalize on the tabloid sensationalism , creating in the process a new subgenre, shock rock . Cooper…
Read More
Erik Brann left the band after a final show in San Diego on December 13, 1969. Brann was frustrated with the band’s unwillingness to move towards a harder rock sound. He was replaced in the line-up by two new musicians: guitarist/vocalist Mike Pinera (whose Blues Image had opened for Iron…
Read More
In September 1969, the band gained some much-needed publicity in the UK with the Concerto for Group and Orchestra , a three-movement epic composed by Lord as a solo project and performed by the band at the Royal Albert Hall in London with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra , conducted by…
Read More
The band’s first show as Black Sabbath took place on 30 August 1969 in Workington , England.
They undertook live dates around London; at their first headlining gig at the London Lyceum on 29 August 1969, the opening act was Deep Purple . They eventually struck a deal with B & C Records and began recording their debut album in December 1969. Their first LP, Atomic Roooster…
Read More
In August 1969 the band released its first album, titled On Time , which sold over 1,000,000 copies and was awarded a Gold record in 1970. The album topped the American album charts.
The band had been booked to play at Woodstock in August 1969 but got stuck at New York City’s LaGuardia Airport . They explained their situation to the concert promoters and asked for patience. Their manager, however, sent a telegram demanding that Iron Butterfly be flown in by helicopter, whereupon…
Read More